My Weblog: Malice Wrap-up

by Donna Andrews

This year I had the wonderful honor of serving as toastmaster at Malice Domestic--and with a fabulous slate of honorees: Guest of Honor Carole Nelson Douglas, Lifetime Achievement Winner Sue Grafton, Poirot Award Winner Janet Rudolph, Fan Guest of Honor Anne Murphy, and as the Malice Remembers honoree the late Lyn Hamilton.

A weekend as toastmaster is perfect training for today's job: to introduce my fellow Femmes Fatales, who will share a few of their Malice memories.

Elaine Viets:
Malice Domestic is really a big family reunion, and it was so much fun to see my friends and mystery family again. Femme Donna Andrews was an outstanding toastmaster and kept the weekend running smoothly. Got to spend time with Kris Neri and Mary Saums. Hank and I had fun on a panel with Margaret Maron, Nancy Pickard and Dorothy Cannell called "Things We Wished We Hadn't Written."

We can't wait for next year when Femme Dana will be toastmaster. We missed Femme Charlaine, but she was there through her writing. I signed my short story in her anthology Crimes by Moonlight.

On the road for my new Dead-end Job mystery, Pumped for Murder.
Elaine

Kris Neri
One of the high points of my Malice was my panel, “All in the Family.” Even before we began, the lights in the panel room wouldn’t go on. Not all the lights. Most of the audience was well-lit, it was merely the panel table looked quite mysterious cloaked in darkness. Rather than finding it dismaying, I considered it a perfect touch. Readers always ask those of us who write quirky mysteries how we think of the madcap antics we put in our books. But quirky things happen all the time in real life! Besides, once the hotel staff determined they really couldn’t get those lights working, they brought in standing lamps, which gave us a nice ambience.

It was also fun for me to get to appear on a panel with my former student, Kaye George, author of Choke, her first Imogene Duckworthy mystery. To hear her talk about some of the elements from the book, which we actually worked on in class, was a real treat for me.

But the best part is connecting with great friends…rooming with SoCal friend, Linda O. Johnston, author of Beagle Mania…my dinners with writer Greg Lilly, author of Scalping the Red Rocks, and super-fans and longtime friends, Pat “Kenpo” Tracy and Jacquelynn Morris…spending time with Femmes Donna, who’s fortunately on the mend, and Elaine, who couldn’t look any more gorgeous, and Mary, who was still so excited about appearing at the Edgars…and being with Femmes Toni and Dana, both dazzling in their banquet finery (see photo at right). Good times!

Kris

Dana Cameron:
Malice was a bit of a blur--so much to do, so many people to hug!--but I was happy to have the chance to say hello to all the Femmes there: Kris, Elaine, Toni, Mary (also fresh from the Edgars!), Hank (Agatha nominee!), Donna (Agatha nominee and an outstanding Toastmaster!). My
time was divided between talking about my Fangborn short story "Swing
Shift" (which made me very happy with an Agatha nomination), and
recording a podcast for Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine of my Anna Hoyt
story "Disarming." The third story, "Ardent," will appear in Cape Cod Noir. Finally, I'm thrilled to announce that I will be Malice's Toastmaster next year, and hope to see everyone there!

Dana

Toni Kelner:
This year's Malice Domestic was a whirlwind of events. I had meetings, hallway and bar conversations, meals with good friends, and panels galore. (At left: Katherine Hall Page and Femme Hank at the auction.)

I moderated one on the travails authors go through to get their books right, and with that topic, moderating was all I was qualified for. After hearing about Beth Groundwater and whitewater rafting, JoAnna Carl and boating, Vicki Delany and police ride-alongs, and Sandi Ault and SWAT training, I decided I was best suited for internet research. I was a panelist on the taboo panel, and to confess to dropping the F-bomb more than once in my first "Where are they now?" book, Curse of the Kissing Cousins. (To acknowledge that, I was wearing earrings made to look like tiny bombs, with F in red on each.) I think I can safely say that no Malice panel has seen quite so much blue language. As for my other panelists, Julie Hyzy has put a fictional child in jeopardy, Joanna Campbell Slan wrote about a secret society, and Jeri Westerson talked about a medieval serial killer. Despite our being such a gang of ruffians, moderator B.K. Stevens kept us in check.

I always enjoy the big events at Malice: Opening Ceremonies, Agatha Banquet, and the Dame Agatha Tea. Toastmaster and Femme Donna Andrews did a terrific job with all three, despite battling laryngitis, and one of the best moments was when Femme Dana was announced as next year's toastmaster.

With all that, was it any wonder that I was worn slap out by the time I got home? But don't worry--I'll be rested up for next year!

Toni

Mary Saums:
My Malice week was so much fun but very different from previous years. Usually I get to town early to visit with friends in the area and hit a few museums before the convention starts. This time, I went to New York City beforehand to attend MWA's Edgar banquet. You know I shopped. And walked. And ate wonderful meals, snacks, second breakfasts, etc. The banquet was awesome. Fellow Femme Dana Cameron was totally gorgeous in her evening dress and composed as she presented at the Edgar award ceremony. Both of us chaired Edgar committees in 2010 and therefore announced the winners in our categories. I was pretty nervous since my category, Best Novel, was the last one of the night. To recover, the next morning I headed down to Malice. For the first time in many years, I wasn't an official Malice participant. Instead, in the daytime I worked some on my current manuscript or had lunch with friends Dean James, Carolyn Haines and publicist Rebecca Crowley. At night, there's only one thing to do at Malice - head to the bar to re-connect with other friends. Always a fun time!

Mary

Donna:
Me again. Before I turn over the podium--er, make that the blog--to the next Femme, I'd like to share a few words and thank a few people. (At right: the Simply the Best panel: Nancy Pickard, Louise Penny, Harriette Sackler, Femme Hank, Heather Webber, Femme Donna.)

I had a great time. Even with the remnants of this year's dire respiratory bug still audible in my voice--not to mention the cough that was fading with every day but still not quite gone--I had a great time.

I loved hearing Rhys Bowen and Mary Jane Maffini share their memories of Lyn Hamilton. If I thought I could have done it without either coughing or choking up, I'd have made an audience contribution and shared my memories of moderating a panel that included Lyn at Left Coast Crime 2011 (in Anchorage). I contemplated a few of Lyn's titles--The Moche Warrior, The Xibalba Murders, and The Etruscan Chimera--and made an executive decision that my panelists would prefer to introduce themselves. I told Lyn later in the bar that I'd have been one for three on her titles--at least I did know how to pronounce "chimera."

Dan Stashower did a great job on the toastmaster interview. The "Simply the Best" panel, with Louise Penny, Nancy Pickard, Hank Phillippi Ryan, and Heather Webber, was a blast--what fun to be nominated in such a slate! And Hank and Katherine Hall Page once again did a fabulous job as auctioneers.

In fact, if I went on to describe my whole weekend, we'd all OD on the words great and fabulous. Some highlights: my fellow panelist, Joelle Charbonneau, who's a singer and a voice teacher as well as a mystery writer, gave me some fabulous advice on restoring my cough-ravaged voice. (Think Cold-Eeze strawberry and cream flavor. Reduces the swelling of the vocal cords.) Malice Grant winner Robin Templeton was kind enough to mention that I'd been helpful in getting her winning manuscript into shape. (The first and last photos on this blog were taken by Robin wearing her photographer's hat.) And finally being able to cheer when Femme Dana was announced as next year's toastmaster.
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In fact, here's the whole slate for next year:
Guest of Honor: Jan Burke
Toastmaster: Dana Cameron
Lifetime Achievement: Simon Brett
Malice Remembers: Tony Hillerman
Poirot Award: Lee Goldberg
Fan Guest of Honor: Ruth Sickafus.

You might want to register soon. I haven't heard for sure, but I think this year's Malice sold out. And there's a rumor Femme Charlaine might be clearing room in her schedule for Malice 2012.

So that's it, Femme readers. We had a lovely time. And we hope to see you next year in Bethesda!